Press Releases
Date: 4 April 2023
Malaysia Votes the Mandatory Death Penalty Out: A Landmark Reform
The CSO Platform for Reform thanks Malaysian lawmakers for the
unanimous vote which saw the ending of the mandatory death sentence
in the second session of the 15th Parliament sitting on 3 April 2023. The
effort by several civil society organisations (CSO) who have worked on
this reform for many years to push for the abolishment must also be
commended.
The moratorium on execution has been in place since 2018. It would be
up to the Senate’s vote to put this reform firmly into place, present to the
YDPA for royal assent, and gazetted for enforcement.
Following this landmark reform, CSO Platform calls on the Madani
government, and the legislative in general, to continue its progressive
stance on other outstanding reforms such as to repeal SOSMA and other
draconian laws, amend the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA 2019), enact
Political Funding Bill, placing MACC under the Parliament, tabling of
IPCMC as a better option than the weak IPCC Bill and so on.
We also reiterate that it is paramount that the government of the day
expedite dialogues, workshops and inclusiveness with civil society on
institutional reform. CSO Platform, a coalition of 60 CSOs, which
includes members who have been working on various thematic reform
issues, recently released a ‘First 100 Days of the Unity Government
Report’, and would like to share the expertise of our members to ensure
the years of reforms work come to fruition, just like the historical vote to
scrap the death penalty.
Released by
Steering Committee of the CSO Platform for Reform
Back